Russian strikes killed 14 people in Ukraine on Friday (Apr 3), officials said, as Moscow carried out a fresh wave of daytime attacks that have become increasingly frequent in recent weeks.
The Russian military reportedly launched more than 500 drones along with dozens of missiles in the latest barrage, according to Ukraine’s air force. While air raids have typically taken place at night throughout the war, authorities said daytime strikes have increased significantly in recent periods.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of intensifying its attacks ahead of the Catholic Easter weekend, saying the assaults had “turned what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation”.
Emergency services images showed widespread destruction, including damaged residential buildings and apartment blocks ripped open, with debris scattered across streets.
In the Kyiv region, regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said one person was killed and eight others injured after a drone strike hit a residential area. He also reported that around 20 animals died after a veterinary clinic was damaged in the attack.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said separate strikes hit areas including Obukhiv, where a drone struck a residential building, and Vyshneve, where homes were damaged in an attack near a kindergarten and school.
Elsewhere, three people were killed in the northern Sumy region, while additional fatalities were reported in Zhytomyr and Dnipropetrovsk. In frontline regions including Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, local officials said eight more people were killed.
The widespread bombardment also triggered emergency power outages across several regions, according to Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga condemned the attacks, saying they were Moscow’s response to proposals for an Easter ceasefire.
Zelenskyy had earlier indicated openness to a temporary truce over the holiday period, but the Kremlin said it had not received any clearly formulated proposals.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians, while Ukraine continues to accuse Moscow of prolonging the war in an effort to seize more territory.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts involving the United States have stalled amid wider global tensions, including Washington’s focus on conflicts in the Middle East.
In remarks reported on Friday, Zelenskyy said he had invited an American delegation to Ukraine to help restart negotiations, suggesting possible shuttle diplomacy involving Kyiv and Moscow.
US President Donald Trump’s envoys have been engaged in indirect talks between both sides, though progress has slowed amid shifting international priorities.
Ukraine has also sought to expand defence cooperation with Middle Eastern partners, following Zelenskyy’s recent visits to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where new agreements were signed.
